Shloka 19
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
तमतिक्रान्तमर्यादमाददानं ततस्ततः । प्रतिषेधन्ति राजानो लुब्धा मृगमिवेषुभि:
tam atikrāntamaryādam ādādānaṃ tataḥ tataḥ | pratiṣedhanti rājāno lubdhā mṛgam iveṣubhiḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Kapag ang isang tao’y lumalampas sa hangganan ng maryādā (tamang kaayusan) at patuloy na kumakamkam ng yaman sa iba’t ibang dako sa pamamagitan ng pandarambong, pinipigil siya ng mga hari sa mabigat na parusa—gaya ng mangangaso na humahadlang sa pagtakbo ng usa sa pamamagitan ng mga palaso.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Those who violate maryādā by predatory taking and plunder must be checked by the ruler; punishment is presented as a necessary instrument of rāja-dharma to protect society and uphold ethical boundaries.
Bhishma describes a wrongdoer who roams about seizing wealth unlawfully; he says kings restrain such a person through harsh penalties, using the simile of hunters halting a deer’s movement with arrows.